Latest news with #NikkiSaroukos
Daily Mail
02-06-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Homeland Security 'fact checks' Aussie who was deported from the US
By and NICK WILSON FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA The US government has launched an extraordinary attack on an Australian woman who complained she was detained, stripped and held overnight in a federal prison while trying to visit her American boyfriend. Former NSW Police officer Nikki Saroukos, 25, was detained by US border officials when she arrived in Honolulu, Hawaii on May 17. The 25-year-old thought it would be a routine visit to see her husband who has been stationed as a US Army lieutenant on the Pacific island and US state since August 2023. The US Department of Homeland Security fired back at Mrs Sourokos and issued a 'fact check' on her claims in a post shared to social media platform X on Saturday. The department defended its officers who determined Mrs Saroukos was 'travelling for more than just tourism', and took aim at the brief duration of her marriage. 'Nicolle Saroukos's recent long-term trips to the United States and suspicious luggage resulted in her being reasonably selected for secondary screening by CBP,' the post read. Officials claimed she had packed more clothing than was necessary for a three-week stay. 'Officers determined that she was traveling for more than just tourism. She was unable to remember her wedding date just four months prior,' the post read. 'Saroukos met her now-husband during a trip on December 13, 2024, the same day her ex-partner left her. The two spent only eight days together before she returned to Australia on December 21. 'Saroukos then got married on January 24, 2025, after only knowing her husband for just over a month.' The department also accused Mrs Saroukos of having 'unusual activity on her phone' and making false claims about her husband's military service. 'During screening, CBP (Customs and Border Protection) noted there was unusual activity on her phone, including 1000 deleted text messages from her husband because she claimed they caused her "anxiety",' the post read. 'Saroukos even claimed that her husband was going to leave the US military, despite him telling CBP he was adding her to his military documents. 'If you attempt to enter the United States under false pretenses, there are consequences.' Mrs Saroukos vehemently denied having any plans to live in the US permanently and slammed Homeland Security's reasons for putting her in a jail cell as 'unjustifiable'. While she agreed with the department's timeline of her relationship, she claimed it failed to mention she had been talking to her husband on a dating app for months before they met in person. Mrs Saroukos also denied the department's claims that she had met her now-husband on the same day she split from her former-partner. She explained she had split from her ex-partner earlier in the year, but had stayed in 'separate rooms' when they holidayed together in Hawaii. Mrs Saroukos added she relocated to a different hotel when her ex left the island and reached out to meet her future husband three days later. When asked about why she was unable to remember her wedding date, Mrs Saroukos said her mind went blank as she was interrogated for hours. 'I was crying at this point. I was under immense stress,' she told . 'With the decision of them coming out and saying 'she didn't remember her (wedding) date', I'm like it's not a criminal offence to forget a date? I mean, I don't even remember people's birthdays let alone a date under that amount of stress.' Mrs Saroukos said she had deleted the 1,000 text messages as they were when she and her partner were having a disagreement and she did not want to re-read them. She claimed officials could have easily read the conversation by recovering the messages from the deleted section on her iPhone. 'It's not a bloody crime to delete text messages between you and your partner,' Mrs Saroukos said. 'It's my [expletive] phone. I'm not committing an offence. They've just grabbed that and run with it and they're missing out the fact they actually read the deleted text messages and there was nothing (illegal) there.' She added she had no intention of applying for a green card as a military spouse, despite the discrepancies in her and her husband's statements about the future. Mrs Saroukos said the long-term plan had always been for her husband to apply for a visa and move to Australia after he left the military. She claimed her husband only mentioned applying for a green card while she was being questioned as the ordeal was proving difficult for her to travel. Mrs Saroukos was travelling to Hawaii with her mother for a planned three weeks together, being joined by her working husband on weekends. After clearing customs, however, it became clear things would not be as simple as they had been on her many previous visits. The pair were taken to a holding area at the Daniel K Inouye International Airport in Honolulu where their bags and documents were inspected. 'We went through customs and border security, as per usual, and we got stopped to check our passports,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'He [customs officer] went from being super calm, very nice, even giving my mum a compliment, to just instantly turning. 'He yelled at the top of his lungs and told my mum to go stand at the back of the line because she was being nosy and asking too many questions. 'Everyone in the airport kind of just froze because his voice literally echoed three rooms over... that's how loud he was.' The mother and daughter were then taken downstairs where officers searched their luggage. They were then taken to a private room where the 25-year-old was forced to hand over her phone and passcode. Her mother, who was questioned in the same room, was soon allowed to leave but Mrs Saroukos had to stay, and it would be nearly 24 hours before the two would see each other again. The officers demanded a written statement on her reasons for travel, income and personal information regarding her relationship with her husband. Some time later, she was required to sign a declaration stating she had no cartel affiliations before being subjected to an oral DNA swab and fingerprinting. She was then told that her entry to the US had been rejected and she would spend the night in a federal detention facility before being deported back to Australia. Ms Saroukos then requested a phone call to her husband but officers assured her they would inform him on her behalf - a promise she would learn the following day they had not made good on. She was then handcuffed and marched through the airport in full view of the public before being subjected to a full body cavity search at Honolulu Federal Detention Facility. Ms Saroukos was then processed and given a blanket. She was told she had missed the cut-off for dinner and would have to go hungry and was denied a shower on the basis there were no available towels. At 8.40pm, she was locked in a cell with a Fijian woman who had also been detained upon attempting to enter the country for a wedding. After a sleepless night, Ms Saroukos returned to the airport under police custody and received a call from the Australian embassy. She requested they inform her mother she had been booked on a 12.15pm flight so that she might also book a ticket. Several hours later, she was once again escorted by officers in view of the public to her gate and made to board the flight ahead of all other passengers. Reflecting on the ordeal, Ms Saroukos said she felt 'disgusted' and vowed never to return to the US. 'I felt like I was targeted, and they treated me like I was a criminal, and they kept telling me that I had done nothing wrong, but yet their actions don't reflect what they were telling me,' Mrs Saroukos said. 'I never want to return back to the United States. 'They've pretty much traumatised me [from] ever returning back there, which automatically strains my marriage as well, because my husband lives over there.'
Daily Mail
02-06-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Dramatic twist emerges after Aussie was deported from the US under Trump's tough immigration policy - as Homeland Security 'fact checks' real reason she was stopped at the airport
Homeland Security has defended its actions for deporting an an Aussie woman after she was detained, stripped and held overnight in a federal prison while trying to visit her American husband. Former NSW police officer Nikki Saroukos, 25, was detained by US border officials upon entering the country via Honolulu, Hawaii on May 17. The 25-year-old thought it would be a routine visit to see her husband who has been stationed as a US Army lieutenant on the Pacific island and US state since August, 2023. Mrs Saroukos had successfully visited the Hawaii three times in recent months an Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) under the Visa Waiver Program. At no point was she given a reason for her detention, beyond the fact that border officials did not believe her story that she was visiting her husband. Mrs Saroukos said she was 'treated like a criminal' as she was denied her rights, subject to invasive searches, humiliating treatment and a night in a federal detention facility before being deported back to Australia. However, The US Department of Homeland Security has fired back at Mrs Sourokos' claims in a post shared to X on Saturday. The department described the post as a 'fact check' and defended its officers who determined Mrs Saroukos was 'travelling for more than just tourism'. 'Nicolle Saroukos's recent long-term trips to the United States and suspicious luggage resulted in her being reasonably selected for secondary screening by CBP,' it read. Officials did not believe her story that she was visiting her husband after claiming she had packed more clothing than was necessary for a three-week stay. 'Officers determined that she was traveling for more than just tourism. She was unable to remember her wedding date just four months prior,' the post read. Saroukos met her now-husband during a trip on December 13, 2024, the same day her ex-partner left her. The two spent only eight days together before she returned to Australia on December 21. 'Saroukos then got married on January 24, 2025, after only knowing her husband for just over a month.' The department also accused her of having 'unusual activity on her phone' and making false claims about her husband's military service. 'During screening, CBP (Customs and Border Protection) noted there was unusual activity on her phone, including 1000 deleted text messages from her husband because she claimed they caused her "anxiety",' the post read. 'Saroukos even claimed that her husband was going to leave the US military, despite him telling CBP he was adding her to his military documents. 'If you attempt to enter the United States under false pretenses, there are consequences.'
News.com.au
02-06-2025
- General
- News.com.au
Australian denied entry to US, strip searched and thrown in prison hits back at Homeland Security's reasoning
EXCLUSIVE An Australian woman who was strip searched and thrown in federal prison when denied entry to the United States to visit her American husband has hit back at Homeland Security after it aired details of her case on social media to defend its actions. Nikki Saroukos, a former NSW Police officer from southwest Sydney, told last week she was subjected to invasive searches and humiliating treatment for trying to spend time with her US military husband stationed in Hawaii. Ms Saroukos said she had successfully visited the state three times in recent months using an Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) under the Visa Waiver Program, but this time turned into a nightmare. The US Department of Homeland Security later issued what it described as a 'fact check' on X after she went public with the ordeal, accusing her of having 'unusual activity on her phone, including 1000 deleted text messages from her husband'. But Ms Saroukos, who married her husband Matt in January after a whirlwind long-distance romance, said she was 'in disbelief at how ridiculous' the statement was and claimed that some of the information included had been 'twisted'. 'The reasons they came up with were not even justifiable to throw someone in prison anyway,' she told on Monday. Ms Saroukos strongly denies having any plans to live permanently in the US, and believes people are missing the point of her story, saying she was not hung up on the fact she had been denied entry to the country, but rather how she was treated. 'A country has a right to deport you if they don't want you in their country, fair enough,' she said. 'But I don't agree with the treatment … why are you throwing people in prison, why are they being subject to strip searches and cavity searches and being placed in handcuffs, like your rights taken away from you.' Homeland Security addresses the uproar Homeland Security said Ms Saroukos was selected for further screening at the airport on arrival to the US because of 'recent long-term trips' and 'suspicious luggage'. Then, 'officers determined that she was travelling for more than just tourism,' the statement said. The department went on to share details about Ms Saroukos' relationship. FACT CHECK: Nicolle Saroukos’s recent long-term trips to the United States and suspicious luggage resulted in her being reasonably selected for secondary screening by CBP. Officers determined that she was traveling for more than just tourism. She was unable to remember her… — Homeland Security (@DHSgov) May 30, 2025 'She was unable to remember her wedding date just four months prior,' it said. 'Saroukos met her now-husband during a trip on December 13, 2024, the same day her ex-partner left her. The two spent only eight days together before she returned to Australia on December 21. Saroukos then got married on January 24, 2025, after only knowing her husband for just over a month. 'During screening, CBP (Customs and Border Protection) noted there was unusual activity on her phone, including 1000 deleted text messages from her husband because she claimed they caused her 'anxiety'. 'Saroukos even claimed that her husband was going to leave the US military, despite him telling CBP he was adding her to his military documents. 'If you attempt to enter the United States under false pretenses, there are consequences.' 'Ridiculous': Nikki Saroukos hits back Ms Saroukos told that while she generally agreed with the Homeland Security timeline, it left out that she had been talking to her now-husband on a dating app for months before they met in person in December. She denied meeting him for the first time the same day she split with her ex-partner. She explained that her relationship with her ex had been complicated, and although they had split earlier that year, they went on a holiday to Hawaii together but 'stayed in separate rooms'. 'I met my husband after my ex had left the island. I relocated to a different hotel, three days after I got that new hotel I then reached out to Matthew and we tried to organise to catch up,' she said. As for not remembering her wedding date, Ms Saroukos said her mind went blank during the hours of interrogation. 'I was crying at this point. I was under immense stress,' she said. 'With the decision of them coming out and saying 'she didn't remember her (wedding) date', I'm like it's not a criminal offence to forget a date? I mean, I don't even remember people's birthdays let alone a date under that amount of stress.' Explaining the 1000 deleted text messages, Ms Saroukos said if the couple were having a disagreement, she would delete their conversation on her iPhone to stop her re-reading the messages. She claimed there was nothing officials could not recover and read from the deleted section on her phone. 'They are just saying because I deleted the text messages, it's suspicious. Again, the only thing I can come back and say with that is, it's not a bloody crime to delete text messages between you and your partner,' she said. 'It's my f***ing phone. I'm not committing an offence. They've just grabbed that and run with it and they're missing out the fact they actually read the deleted text messages and there was nothing (illegal) there.' In regards to Homeland Security claiming there were varying statements from she and her husband about their future, she claimed the long-term plan was for her husband to apply for a visa and move to Australia after leaving the military, therefore she had no intention of getting a green card as a military spouse. Ms Saroukos told that her husband had only mentioned he would start an application for a green card while she was being questioned because of the sudden difficulty she was facing travelling with an ESTA. 'If I was going to move to the US, I would have done it a long time ago. I would not be spending thousands of dollars going back and forth on plane tickets to go see my husband and I would have already started an application if that was the case,' she said. 'Not once did I ever say nor was there any plan that I was going to permanently live in the United States.' Ms Saroukos still does not know for sure why her luggage was deemed suspicious, but based on comments from officers during inspection, she suspects maybe they thought she had too much luggage but argued she was 'not bringing anything illegal into the country'. 'Never been so terrified': Strip search horror Ms Saroukos travelled to Hawaii with her mother. They were taken to a holding area at Daniel K Inouye International Airport in Honolulu where their bags and documents were inspected. Her mother was free to go after the search but Ms Saroukos was taken to a second location where she was subjected to further interrogation. There, she said she was forced to surrender her phone and passwords, and questioned about her work as a former NSW Police officer. 'They questioned me about the demographic of my suburb and what crimes I was exposed to as a police officer,' Ms Saroukos told on May 22. 'They were asking me about ice and meth and whether I knew how much was being imported from New Zealand.' She said she had 'no idea' how to answer the questions and was 'just dumbfounded'. She was also grilled me on her income, marriage and phone history. Ms Saroukos was then subjected to a DNA swab, which she was given no explanation for, she claimed. She was further forced to sign a document declaring she was not a part of a cartel and had no affiliation with gang members. In the end, Ms Saroukos was still denied entry to the US. 'I've never been so terrified in my life. I froze. They said 'We'll be sending you to jail.' I was just shaking, sweating – I couldn't believe it,' she said. Ms Saroukos said she was handcuffed, subjected to an in-depth cavity search and taken to a federal detention facility, where she was fingerprinted again, ordered to strip naked, squat and cough, and handed prison issued briefs and green outerwear. After a night in prison, she was taken back to the airport to fly home to Sydney. Ms Saroukos said her mother and husband were not told of her whereabouts while she was detained. 'I never want to return to the United States,' she said, adding that her husband was she was hopeful her husband could eventually move to Australia. — with reporting by Ella Mcilveen Why denied tourists can end up in federal prison CBP has long had strong powers to deny entry, detain and deport foreigners at their discretion when travellers arrive in the country even if they have a valid visa or ESTA. However, what we are seeing under the Trump administration is described as 'enhanced vetting'. Australians are being warned to not assume they are exempt to more intense checks, including inspections of emails, text messages or social media accounts at the airport. Melissa Vincenty, a US immigration lawyer and Australian migration agent who is managing director of Worldwide Migration Partners, told recently that being taken to federal prison with no criminal record, no drugs or anything that is a danger to society is the reality of being denied entry to the US in Hawaii. Ms Vincenty, a dual-citizen who was a deportation defence lawyer in Honolulu before moving to Australia, explained the state did not have an immigration facility so people were taken to the Federal Detention Center Honolulu, where there was no separate wing for immigration. It meant tourists who were denied entry to the US could be held alongside those awaiting trial — or who have been convicted and were waiting to be transferred to a mainland prison for serious federal crimes, such as kidnapping, bank robbery or drug crimes. 'It's like in the movies — you go there and there's bars, you get strip searched, all your stuff is taken away from you, you're not allowed to call anybody, nobody knows where you are,' Ms Vincenty told in April after the experience of two young German tourists being strip searched and thrown in prison made global headlines. Ms Vincenty said for Australians who were denied entry to the US in other locations like Los Angeles, San Francisco or Dallas, being held in detention facilities until the next available flight home was a real risk as there weren't constant return flights to Australia — meaning you might have to wait until the next day. If not taken to a detention facility, some travellers may stay sitting for hours in what is called a secondary inspection at the airport. A secondary inspection includes further vetting such as searching a travellers' electronic devices. 'That period can last from half an hour to 15 hours or more,' she said.
News.com.au
29-05-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
‘Look at posts you've liked': Scary US truth
A US immigration lawyer has warned Aussies heading to the US to be 'aware and prepared' following a former NSW police officer's 'terrifying' ordeal. Andrea Szew, who has specialised in US immigration law for over 20 years, explained that tourists are now being subjected to heightened scrutiny from border officials at American airports following a crackdown under the Trump administration. 'They can look at who's posts you've liked, they can look at friends posts you have been tagged in – they can look at anything,' she told Nine News. The California-based lawyer said for Aussies to 'come, be aware, be prepared but don't be scared not to arrive'. There are claims some officers are emboldened by Trump's America-first policies, the publication reported, and if they suspect anything, immigration officials can search your phone or laptop. Nikki Saroukos claims she was a victim of this after being subjected to invasive searches, 'humiliating' treatment and a night in federal prison. The former NSW police officer was heading to Honolulu to visit her husband, a US Army lieutenant stationed in Hawaii, for three weeks with her mother. However, the moment she landed she says she was 'treated like a criminal'. She had her phone and luggage searched, was forced to spend a night behind bars despite having no criminal record and a valid ESTA visa, before being sent back to Australia. She claimed an officer told her she had 'too many clothes in her suitcase for a three and a half week trip'. Mrs Saroukos, from south-west Sydney, felt she was being racially profiled as officers allegedly questioned her tattoos. 'It sounds terrible that someone's subjective opinion can be that powerful to send you back on a flight all the way to Australia, but unfortunately it is a subjective decision,' Ms Szew told Nine News. Former cop detained, deported from US In an interview with Mrs Saroukos said she visited Hawaii three times in recent months under the ESTA visa waiver program to see her husband with no issues. But this time, when she and her mother arrived to Daniel K Inouye International Airport in Honolulu on May 18, the duo were heavily questioned. Her mother was eventually free to go but Mrs Saroukos was subjected to further interrogation. 'They questioned me about the demographic of my suburb and what crimes I was exposed to as a police officer,' she said. 'They were asking me about ice and meth and whether I knew how much was being imported from New Zealand.' She said she had 'know idea how to answer the questions'. 'I was just dumbfounded,' Ms Saroukos said. 'They took a 45-minute sworn statement where they grilled me on my stream of income, my marriage, my phone history. 'They were clutching at straws. They even asked why I had deleted Instagram three days prior, I was completely honest.' After hours of questioning, a DNA swab and a sworn statement, a supervisor informed her that her statement was deemed inadmissable and that she would not be entering the United States. Mrs Saroukos said she was handcuffed, subjected to an in-depth cavity search before being taken to a federal detention facility. Upon arriving at the prison she was fingerprinted again, ordered to strip naked, squat and cough, and handed prison issued briefs and green outerwear. Mrs Saroukos says she was taken to a shared cell where her roommate was a Fijian woman who was being held over similar circumstances. 'There were prisoners everywhere. I learned that I was being housed with convicted murderers,' she said. '(Other inmates) told me I looked like a fish out of water and even gave me soap and a towel.' Mrs Saroukos was eventually freed and driven back to the airport where she was deported back to Australia. She and her family have now hired an immigration lawyer in the US to probe what can be done about her ordeal. Travel advice for Aussies heading to the US As of May 6, the Department of Foreign Affairs has toughened its travel advice for the USA in response to the Trump administration's increasingly harsh border controls. While the overall rating of green to 'exercise normal safety precautions' has not changed, it has beefed up warnings about being detained at the border and requirements to carry identification while travelling within the country. 'Entry requirements are strict. US authorities have broad powers to decide if you're eligible to enter and may determine that you are inadmissable for any reason under US law,' the government's Smartraveller site states. 'Check US entry, registration, transit and exit requirements. Whether you're travelling on a visa or under the Visa Waiver Program, ensure you understand all relevant terms and conditions before attempting to enter the United States.' It also warned that Aussies will now require a passport or United States-issued photo identification which meets the US Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) REAL ID requirements to board domestic flights in the United States.' Travel to the US drops Tourism Economics says foreign traveller arrivals in the US are expected to sharply decline this year. The travel data company revised its outlook after Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs announcement on April 2 — forecasting a 9.4 per cent decline in international visitor arrivals. Tourism Economics' report says decisions from the Trump Administration are creating a 'negative sentiment shift toward the US among travellers' — with Mr Trump's stance on border security and immigration one of the factors cited as discouraging visits. – with Ella McIlveen
Daily Mail
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Aussies are issued a one-word travel warning that should terrify anyone heading to the US
Aussie tourists have been warned the decision to deport them from the US is now 'subjective' as Donald Trump takes a hardline stance on immigration. Californian immigration lawyer Andrea Szew issued the warning on Wednesday following a spate of Aussie complaining they had been randomly sent back. Last week, former NSW police officer Nikki Saroukos, 25, told Daily Mail Australia she was detained, stripped, and held overnight in Hawaii for 'having too much luggage'. Ms Szew said tourists will continue to be subjected to heightened security at US borders. She said border agents can choose who they will detain based on their 'subjective' suspicions. 'Sounds terrible that someone's subjective opinion can be that powerful to send me back on a flight all the way back to Australia, but unfortunately it is a subjective decision,' she told Nine News. She said travellers could be strip searched and did not have a right to privacy on their devices like laptops and phones including social media accounts. 'They can look at whose post you liked, they can look at the friends posts you've been tagged in, they can look at everything,' she said. She said some border officials have been boldened by the President's hardline nationalist stance on immigration. Australians can minimise their chances of a negative experience at the border by never booking a one way ticket, have your travel itinerary printed and on your person and take extra care filling out the visa application. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trading have updated their travel advice regarding the US, saying entry requirements are 'strict'. Former NSW police officer Nikki Saroukos, 25, was detained by US border officials upon entering the country via Honolulu, Hawaii on Sunday. The 25-year-old thought it would be a routine visit to see her husband who has been stationed as a US Army lieutenant on the Pacific island and US state since August, 2023. At no point was she given a reason for her detention, beyond the fact that border officials did not believe her story that she was visiting her husband after claiming she had packed more clothing than was necessary for a three-week stay. 'We went through customs and border security, as per usual, and we got stopped to check our passports,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'I'm an ex-police officer and he was taking a little bit, checking stuff on the computer. My mum started asking, like, ''Oh, is there a problem?'' and asked if he needed any more information. 'He went from being super calm, very nice, even giving my mum a compliment, to just instantly turning.' The officials attitude change was just the beginning of a two-day long episode during which she was cuffed, frog-marched through the airport, cavity searched and locked-up overnight. 'I was in a foreign country. I had no idea what my rights were. I was terrified,' she said. 'I thought I was never going to get out of that facility.' 'Because of all the horror stories I've heard from other travelers traveling through the United States, I kept asking the officers if I was safe in that facility, because I felt like they put my life at risk because I was being housed with criminals.' DFAT adjusted its travel advice three times in just one month in April in response to reports of increasingly harsh border controls. The USA's overall travel rating remains 'green – exercise normal safety precautions', however, the department ramped up border warnings. 'Entry requirements are strict. US authorities have broad powers to decide if you're eligible to enter and may determine that you are inadmissible for any reason under US law,' DFAT's website read. 'Check US entry, registration, transit and exit requirements. Whether you're travelling on a visa or under the Visa Waiver Program, ensure you understand all relevant terms and conditions before attempting to enter the United States. 'Expect enhanced screening procedures, including for domestic flights within the United States ... US authorities actively pursue, detain and deport people who are in the country illegally. Be prepared to show documents proving your legal presence.'
